Softwr

E-Commerce · head to head

KORONA POS vs Swell Commerce

KORONA POS logo

KORONA POS

E-Commerce

Cloud-based retail POS system

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Swell Commerce logo

Swell Commerce

E-Commerce

Headless ecommerce for modern brands

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only KORONA POS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: KORONA POS inventory counts and stock management require the $79 Retail plan, so the $59 Core plan is checkout without stock control; Swell Commerce each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • They diverge on capability: KORONA POS covers Point of sale, Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KORONA POS and Swell Commerce actually diverge.

Attributes where KORONA POS and Swell Commerce differ
AttributeKORONA POSSwell Commerce
Starting priceFree$29/month
Free tierYesNo
Founded20042019

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in KORONA POS

  • Point of sale
  • Employee management
  • Customer database
  • Sales analytics
  • Loyalty programs
  • Multi-location support
  • Mobile POS

Only in Swell Commerce

  • Headless architecture
  • GraphQL & REST APIs
  • Subscription commerce
  • Multi-currency support
  • Custom checkout
  • Webhook integrations
  • Developer-friendly SDK

Both cover

  • Inventory management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

KORONA POS

  • Point of sale and inventory management for retail storesnot Swell Commerce
  • Multi location retail with stock control and reportingnot Swell Commerce

Swell Commerce

  • Running a headless commerce backend with APIs for a custom storefrontnot KORONA POS
  • Selling subscription products alongside one off purchasesnot KORONA POS
  • Operating multi currency stores from one commerce backendnot KORONA POS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

KORONA POS

  • Inventory counts and stock management require the $79 Retail plan, so the $59 Core plan is checkout without stock control
  • Five separate modules are charged on top of the plan, at $10 per terminal for food service, $10 per terminal for invoicing, $50 per gate for ticketing, $30 per franchise and $45 per token for custom API integrations
  • Integration pricing is per token rather than per account, so several integrations multiply the cost
  • Advanced stock management and movement reporting require the $99 Plus plan

Swell Commerce

  • Each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • Starter at $29 a month allows 2 admin users and includes only 100,000 API requests and 1GB of storage per month
  • Additional API requests cost $5 per 100,000 and extra storage $5 per GB
  • Role based permissions and developer support are restricted to the Unlimited plan at $2,250 a month
  • Advanced reports and priced currencies require the Standard plan or higher
  • Published prices are the billed yearly rates, so monthly billing costs more

Pricing, plan by plan

KORONA POS

Free
  • Core$59/month
    • Basic checkout
    • Product database
    • Sales reports
  • Retail$79/month
    • Inventory management
    • Real-time stock tracking
    • Customer management
  • Plus$99/month
    • ABC analysis
    • Multi-location tools
    • Assortment optimization

Swell Commerce

$29/month
  • Starter$29/month
    • Up to $50K annual revenue
    • Basic reports
    • Up to 5 admin users
  • Basic$79/month
    • Up to $250K annual revenue
    • Most popular plan
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$299/month
    • Up to $1M annual revenue
    • Advanced reports
    • Up to 15 admin users
  • Unlimited$2250/month
    • Up to $5M annual revenue
    • Unlimited scalability and granular control
    • Unlimited admin users

Which should you pick?

Choose KORONA POS if

  • You need point of sale.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want employee management.
KORONA POS review

Choose Swell Commerce if

  • You need headless architecture.
  • You also want graphql & rest apis.
Swell Commerce review

Questions people ask

Is KORONA POS or Swell Commerce better?
Neither clearly leads. KORONA POS starts at Free and Swell Commerce at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KORONA POS or Swell Commerce?
KORONA POS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for KORONA POS and $29/month for Swell Commerce.
Does KORONA POS or Swell Commerce run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use KORONA POS for free?
Yes. KORONA POS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Swell Commerce starts at $29/month.
What is KORONA POS best used for?
KORONA POS is most often used for point of sale and inventory management for retail stores, multi location retail with stock control and reporting. Of those, point of sale and inventory management for retail stores and multi location retail with stock control and reporting are not what Swell Commerce is typically brought in for.
What can KORONA POS do that Swell Commerce cannot?
KORONA POS covers Point of sale, Employee management, Customer database, Sales analytics. Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture, GraphQL & REST APIs, Subscription commerce, Multi-currency support. Both handle Inventory management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

KORONA POS: What does KORONA POS cost?

KORONA POS plans start at $59/month per terminal for Core, $79/month for Retail, and $99/month for Plus. All plans include 24/7 in-house support, unlimited users and sales, and open API access.

Source
Swell Commerce: How much does Swell Commerce cost?

Swell offers four tiers starting at $29 per month for Starter and going up to $2,250 per month for Unlimited. Annual billing provides a 25% discount compared to monthly billing. All prices are in USD.

Source
KORONA POS: Does KORONA POS offer a free trial?

Yes, an unlimited free trial is available with no credit card required for signup.

Source
Swell Commerce: What are Swell's revenue tier overages?

Each plan includes a revenue ceiling based on 12-month trailing sales. Starter allows up to $50K with 2% overage, Basic allows $250K with 1.5% overage, Standard allows $1M with 1% overage, and Unlimited allows $5M with 0.4% overage. Custom plans are available for merchants exceeding $10M annually.

Source
KORONA POS: What add-on modules are available?

Optional modules include KORONA Food ($10/register/month), KORONA Invoicing ($10/register/month), KORONA Ticketing ($50/entry gate/month), KORONA Franchise ($30/franchisee/month), and KORONA Integration ($45/token/month).

Source
KORONA POS: Is there a contract commitment for KORONA POS?

No, KORONA POS offers month-to-month subscriptions with no contracts. Annual plans receive discounts.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on KORONA POS

More on Swell Commerce

Keep looking

Other head to heads